Panthers win Battle of the Beaten, earn first win of year

Before the game against the Golden Eagles of the University of Southern Mississippi on Saturday, the Panthers had only scored 23 points on the season. That number was eclipsed in just 60 minutes of football when the Panthers (1-4, 1-0), put 24 on the board in a close one point win over the Golden Eagles (0-5,0-1) 24-23.

The Panthers largest change was the amount of yards they gained in the win. In their last game, the 72-0 rout handed to them by the Cardinals of the University of Louisville, they only gained 30 yards. Against the Golden Eagles, thought, the Panthers picked up 341 yards against on 73 offensive plays. That is a 4.7 yard per play average.

The breakout player for the Panthers would be running-back Silas Spearman III who ran for 136 yards on 29 carries and two of the team’s three touchdowns. The other touchdown came on a 16 yard reception to wide receiver T.J. Lowder from quarterback E.J. Hilliard. Hilliard who came in for relief of Jake Medlock, went 8-13 and had 93 passing yards, but was sacked twice on the day.

Time of possession was also key in the victory for the Panthers as they held the ball for almost 12 more minutes than the Golden Eagles. That included the domination of possession in the fourth quarter with the Panthers holding the ball for 11 minutes and 36 seconds as compared to the Golden Eagles three minutes and 24 seconds.

In a game that was almost lost in the final six seconds, the play of the day went to the defense and defensive lineman Isame Fasciane, who tipped the final field goal attempt by the Golden Eagles kicker/punter Corey Acosta to end the game. Acosta went 0-1 on field goal attempts while Austin Taylor, of FIU, went 1-3 making a 27 yard attempt while missing two attempts from 45 and 48 yards apiece.

Taylor handled the field goals and point-after-touchdown attempts, on which he was 3-3, while Sergio Sroka handled the kickoffs. Sroka had 0 touchbacks on the day.

The Panthers will start a three game home-stand beginning with the homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 12 against the University of Alabama at Birmingham, followed by trips to FIU Stadium by the Bulldogs of Louisiana State and the Pirates of East Carolina University.

About the Author

Rhys Williams
: Sports Director, Class of 2016, Physical Education: Coaching (Major), Communication Arts (Minor), Sports Enthusiast with a Focus on Football and Track & Field.

Be the first to comment on "Panthers win Battle of the Beaten, earn first win of year"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*